Day 2 (or for some of you, day 3)

Well, 1/2 way through the day. Pretty good so far but fighting the feeling of just wanting something to eat as entertainment. It's Saturday, family is all busy and even though there are a million things to do I feel a little bored. During the holidays there was always something sitting around to munch on and the rational was "it's the holidays!" Then the rational becomes "it's a BBQ, it's a birthday party, it's a wedding, it's the weekend, it's a celebration, it's MOPS, everyone else is having whatever they want! I never have to look for an excuse to over-eat the excuse finds me, all the time! The cycle is never ending unless I choose to change it.

Over the next few months we will explore our motives as they relate to food, our triggers and why we over-eat and our perception, how we see food. If you are ready to be honest, you will face things you don't like about yourself. You will look at the choices you have made over the years that have brought you to your current weight.

You will also discover things the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you. Your true identity, how much God loves you just the way you are TODAY, how beautiful you are, how talented you are and what your true passions are! Not chocolate, but what you were born for! And that is just for starters! At some point I will share with you my lifelong struggle with food, where I have had success and where I continure to fail some days.

I am very excited to witness the transformation that God is doing in each of us. It is a new year but it is also a year of supernatural breakthrough! Mountians that seemed so big in the past we be leveled. We are moving into new places, new identity, new strategies and taking back things that the enemy has stolen!

I encourge you to take a few minutes each morning and initiate a conversation with God and EXPECT him to ansewer you! Some of you will see a mental picture in your mind, some will hear Gods voice in your heart, some won't hear anyting but will read a scripture or run into someone that will speak God's heart to you, some will see a picture or watch a movie or hear God's voice through your children. God is not limited in the ways he chooses to communicate with you. He will speak when we take a few moments each day to invite His presence and listen. Ask him to open your eyes and ears and hearts to hear His voice in whatever form it takes.

We are also entering into a week of prayer and fasting for any MOPS moms from Water of Life. Fasting is an amazing tool to hear more clearly the voice of God. It doesn't have to be total fast. Maybe one meal but whatever you choose just know God is waiting to share His heart with you, even if you don't fast at all or, as is often the case with me, fast with an underlying motive of losing weight! Hey, just keeping it real!

So lets enjoy this together, what an amazing way to start the new year! I am praying for each of you!
Melanie

day 2....stayed tuned

We will have fun and learn from each other, encourage each other, share tips, recipes, find mornings to walk together, maybe even have a boot camp or yoga class! God is going to change more than just our bodies in this 3 months. I am committed to praying for each of you everyday! You are all beautiful, strong women and come April you will be stronger and even more beautiful, inside and out!!!

Running with you!

Biggest Loser... Day one

OK, its day one girls! I was pretty motivated this morning, breakfast was good. A slice of toasted Ezekiel bread with 2 egg whites and some left over veggies from dinner last night.

Thanks to some extended overeating over the holidays I was hungry about 1/2 hour later! My stomach is getting used to the feeling of not being full or should I say, over full! The first week is the toughest when making big changes in your daily caloric intake with day 4 being the worst.

A few tips....
Drink lots of water, 10, 8oz glasses spread out thouout the day and more if you are exercising. Eat 6 times a day, every 3 hours.
Snacks should be small (about 100 calories) and include protien and a carbohydrate such as a fruit or vegetable or whole grain.
ALWAYS carry snacks with you if you will be out for more than 3-4 hours.
Be honest about your portions.
Expect to be a bit dissatisfied at first as your body adjusts and gets used to less food.
Expect your energy to go up, up, up, as your body sheds the excess food that was sitting in your digestive tract.
Your body will immediately begin to function more efficiently with less food and more water.
Be sure you are taking in at least 1200 calories a day, more if you are exercising.
Consume the bulk of your calories before 4pm, dinner being a lighter meal.
Do your best not to eat after 6pm unless it is your small snack.
Let go of the diet, performance mentality!
When you make a less than stellar choice, give yourself a break and right back to it!
Move! Walk, park in the back of the parking lot, take the stairs (when we I went to New York City my friends thought I was crazy for taking the stairs up to the 11th floor, I didnt gain any weight on that trip!) dance while cooking dinner! Anything! This is a lifestyle change not a 3 month sentence!

Please email any questions, nutritional or exercise related to me at:mhedd@charter.net or use facebook, I will respond here on the blog and hope to have a post most days.